Editorial: Mismanagement and Misdirected Anger in Arakan State

By DMG 10 Aug 2021

Development Media Group

In recent days, video of a patient’s female caretaker shouting at a nurse on duty at the 500-bed Sittwe General Hospital in the Arakan State capital has circulated on social media, encapsulating the problems and frustrations that have accompanied the military government’s handling of the pandemic. 

Family members’ concern for the well-being of their hospitalised loved ones is understandable. However, an individual nurse’s authority is limited. In the hospital hierarchy, nurses are expected to follow doctors’ instructions. Can a nurse give oxygen to a patient in need, based on her own judgement or desire alone? In most cases, the answer is no. So to the worried caretakers and family members of those suffering from Covid-19, take note: We see your angst and ask for your understanding as health workers do their best under incredibly difficult circumstances.  

After the incident that was caught on video, some nurses at Sittwe General Hospital did not show up for work, citing the harassment faced by themselves and their colleagues. Arakan State military council members later met with hospital staff and barred health workers from giving media interviews. 

Was the media the problem in this equation? Surely not. Are the nurses the problem? Or was the main culprit actually the poor management of the relevant authorities? 

Last month, a spokesman for the Arakan State military council told the media that there was enough oxygen to meet the state’s needs. About two weeks later, he acknowledged that Arakan State was relying on sources from mainland Myanmar to secure enough oxygen supply. Given this, the Arakan State military council’s penchant for deceit — or, viewed more charitably, its tendency to fall short of expectations — is not in doubt. 

Another problem has arisen in Arakan State. This is the matter of oxygen plants built on a self-reliant basis in Arakan State. The Arakan State military council sought to control oxygen production in Arakan State, and only later retreated after facing public backlash. While philanthropists in various townships are doing as much as they can for the health of the people, the state council is seen as trying to control things in an authoritarian manner. 

But if we are talking about root problems, one need look no further than the power outages. Inconsistent or inadequate electricity provisioning has meant some oxygen plants built on a self-reliant basis have been slow to produce oxygen. How will the Arakan State military council address this problem?  

If the Arakan State military council is unable to produce the oxygen required in the state, it will at least need to make arrangements to keep the electricity supply uninterrupted so that nongovernmental oxygen producers are not hobbled to the point of uselessness.   

As the Covid-19 pandemic worsens, the need for oxygen will increase. As oxygen demand increases in Arakan State, so will the challenges of healthcare workers and patients in hospitals. 

We must see that these very real shortcomings are due to mismanagement. We must expect and demand better management from the military council, and urge it to demand better of itself.  

As mentioned earlier, members of the public also have their part to play: Whether patient or caretaker or family member of someone sick, all should offer respect and gratitude to the healthcare workers to whom we owe a great debt as they put themselves daily on the frontlines of the battle against Covid-19.